


Romance at the Hanami: Saturday Morning, in the Gardens

by junko



Series: the distance between us [15]
Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-17
Updated: 2012-05-17
Packaged: 2017-11-05 13:18:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/406874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Renji wakes up with his captain, and then later must defend him from snotty footmen and a stealth army of giggling girls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Romance at the Hanami: Saturday Morning, in the Gardens

**Author's Note:**

> A continuation of the weekend date of Renji and Byakuya to the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Imperial Gardens. Byakuya's meddling auntie now has a name, the Lady Masami Kuchiki, and I have decided that for the purposes of this story she is a Byakuya's father's elder sister.

Renji woke to the tickle of a tongue and a whisper in his ear. “You’re a bed hog and you snore.”

He cracked an eye open to look up at Byakuya, who was leaning over him. The captain’s inky hair was a morning tousle and something about his face was softer too. He hadn’t had time to get his fierce on? Whatever it was, Renji liked it. A lot. “You’re surprised?”

“Not entirely,” Byakuya said, running his fingertips along the side of Renji’s face. “Though your snores are unusually delicate for such a gigantic baboon—almost cute little huffing noises. I think I also heard you muttering something about ‘yells’?”

“Bells,” Renji stifled a yawn. “That was probably a dream about Kenpachi. He had a tendency to skip snap inspections in favor of random midnight ambushes. Sometimes I still wake up in a cold sweat yelling ‘The bells! The bells!’ It’s embarrassing.”

“Indeed.” Byakuya pursed his lips, while his fingers still wandered along Renji’s exposed skin. Leaning in, he placed a soft kiss just behind Renji’s ear. “However, I find it difficult to believe you, of all people, never sensed that barbarian’s spiritual pressure coming from a mile away.”

“Ah,” Renji said, rolling over onto his back snag a quick kiss from Byakuya’s lips before their lines grew any thinner. “Well, I had to learn to tune Zaracki out. His reistsu is… mind-numbing, and always blasting at a hundred and fifty percent. If I didn’t block him out, I couldn’t have strung two words together. I had a massive headache my first week there.”

“That explains a lot about the Eleventh actually.”

Renji laughed. “To be fair, folks there get hit on the head a lot, too.”

Byakuya arched an eyebrow. “There is that.”

#

 

Byakuya seemed irritated at having to make room for Renji in his morning bathroom rituals, but Renji enjoyed not having to bump into more than one person in a shared space. But after the third snippy “excuse me” from the captain, Renji got the hint and went out in search of a servant to rustle up tea and breakfast.

When he opened the suite’s main door, however, Renji found a distinguished-looking, gray-haired gentleman raising his hand as though ready to knock. At first, Renji feared it was some new Kuchiki relative, but one look at the man’s simple black kimono revealed him to be a servant of some kind--though he did seem to be wearing the Kuchiki crest on an armband.

“Can I help you?” Renji asked as politely as he knew how.

“I have a message for the young lord, are you his manservant?” The man sniffed with obvious disapproval.

Renji was still dressed for bed. His flowered robe had ratty edges and he hadn’t even undone his braid, which meant quite a few tattoos were visible. “I’m his lieutenant.”

“Close enough,” the man decided. “The Lady Masami Kuchiki expects her nephew in attendance at breakfast in her suites this morning.”

Renji shook his head and let out a rueful laugh. “Tell her ladyship, ‘nice try.’ Listen up, pal, the clan’s _head_ , Lord Byakuya Kuchiki, attends no one. If she wants to share a meal with him, she’ll have to await _his_ invitation, got it?”

To the man’s shocked, open mouth, Renji shut the door firmly.

But, with a quick thought, he opened it up again, “Oh, and hey,” Renji said to the servant’s still stunned and gaping face, “Have someone bring up breakfast and a tea service for Lord Kuchiki, would you? And make it snappy.” When the man just stood there sputtering, Renji deepened his frown. “Oi, exactly whose crest do you think you’re wearing? Hop to it!”

Startled by Renji’s tone, the servant blinked rapidly and then bowed deeply, “Right away, sir!”

“You have a startling set of balls, Renji Abarai,” Byakuya said dryly from where he leaned against the archway.

“Well,” Renji said, “You would know.”

Byakuya smiled lightly. “Yes, I believe I would.”

 

#

“Auntie Masa isn’t going to appreciate you bullying her favorite footman,” Byakuya remarked over breakfast, which they’d had served on the porch overlooking the private courtyard garden. The morning sun through the tree branches made dappled light dance on every surface. Sparrows twittered noisily, fluttering and hopping among purple irises and ornamental grass spikes. The air was cool with the promise of a glorious spring day.

Renji inspected the pickled plums before deciding to take one. “Maybe next time she’ll send one she hates.”

“Hmmm, perhaps,” Byakuya reached over and poured Renji a cup of tea. “I will have to deal with her eventually.”

“Why?” Renji asked, and slurped from his bowl of rice porridge.

Byakuya raised his eyebrows over his tea.

“Seriously, Taicho, do I have to remind _you_ that you’re the clan head, too? If you want to avoid her all weekend, I can make that happen.”

“I no longer have any doubt of that,” Byakuya smiled, nibbling on a bit of broiled salted salmon. He looked out at the garden, and then let out a long sigh. “But, I have a duty to her as my father’s elder sister. She’s been writing to me nearly every week for the last year and a half with suggestions for prospective suitors. I have yet to respond to even one.”

“Cold,” Renji said without thinking. When he felt Byakuya’s reistsu spike, he raised his palms quickly and added, “But, not unreasonable! You’re a widower. You think she’d get that you’re not ready yet.”

Byakuya was silent for a long time before saying, “I may never be.”

Sipping his tea, Renji frowned at the sadness in Byakuya’s voice. He tried to decide what that meant for them. Was Byakuya’s heart really still so broken that he had no room in it for anyone new? Or was it just a woman’s touch he was no longer interested in?

Renji was afraid it might be the former. Taking a lover was something entirely different than falling in love. Given the kind of relationship they’d had to-date, it seemed pretty clear that Byakuya was probably just having a bit of fun with him. Last night had been the exception to their usual routine.

Anyway, what was he hoping for? All this talk of suitors only drove home the fact that there was no permanent place in Byakuya’s life for a… what? There wasn’t even a word for what Renji wanted. Life partner? Full-time, live-in boyfriend?

Fuck.

Food suddenly lost its appeal. Renji set his chopsticks back in their holder. “Any chance there’s a private bath as part of this suite? Otherwise I’m going to be pretty ripe by the end of this trip.”

“Hmm?” Byakuya had apparently been lost in thought as well, and he shook his head lightly as though to clear it. “Yes, of course. I specifically asked for one, knowing your particular issues with public bath houses.”

“Thanks,” Renji muttered, pulling himself to his feet.

Byakuya caught his arm. “Wait. I…” he started, but stopped himself. He let his hand and his gaze drop. “After your bath, we will discuss the day’s events.”

“Yes, sir.”

 

#

The bath wasn’t much more than a deep man-made pool in the corner of the washroom. The water was cool enough that Renji didn’t linger longer than it took to wash his hair and clean yesterday’s dust from his body. So it was that he found himself dressed and ready for the day well before Byakuya.

To be fair, Byakuya had a lot more… stuff to contend with. When Renji entered the main room, he found a swirl of attendants helping the captain dress.

Renji almost didn’t recognize Byakuya, as he’d exchanged the traditional shinigami uniform for official court wear--a deep blue _kamishimo._ It was startling to see the captain so colorful, in an array of blues with a touch of white and gold here and there. Instead of the captain’s haori, he wore a _kataginu_ , a similar sort of overcoat, but deep blue with flared shoulder wings. Instead of the kanji for the division’s number on the back, the Kuchiki crest was displayed in shimmering golden threads . The only things that remained the same were the ever-present kenseikan and the silk scarf.

Byakuya looked… resplendent. Renji’s mouth hung open in awe.

_Peerless._

_Goddamned peerless._

Out of the corner of his eye, Renji saw one of the servant girls reach for Senbonzakura. Without even a thought, he crossed the room and grabbed her arm by the wrist before she could touch the sword. He shook his head into her frightened face. “No,” he said politely but firmly. Letting her go, he blocking her access to the zanpaktō with his body, and explained with a glance at Byakuya, “Only him.”

From his dressing pedestal Byakuya said, “I would allow you, Renji.”

“Uh,” Renji’s eyes widened. This was Senbonzakura! Wouldn’t he sully such a noble blade? “Are you absolutely sure, sir?”

“I said so, didn’t I?”

Even so, Renji hesitated a moment before turning to stand in front of the zanpaktō warily.

“Just remember this wasn’t my idea,” he whispered to Senbonzakura, before gingerly reaching out to take the sword from where it lay on the countertop. When his fingers brushed the sheath he almost jumped back.

It was singing.

A thousand harmonizing voices making the most beautiful music Renji had ever heard. The song was wordless, and incredibly mournful. As his fingers curled carefully around the sheath, Renji wondered if he could make it the scant feet without weeping, so sadly poignant the tune. His hands were trembling when he offered Senbonzakura to Byakuya.

Their eyes met briefly, and Renji swore he saw a similar melancholy reflected in Byakuya’s gaze.

Byakuya took Senbonzakura from him and slid the zanpaktō into place at his hip. “So,” without looking at Renji, he said. “You heard.”

His breath came back to him in a rush when the zanpaktō left his grip. “I… is it always the same song?”

“No,” Byakuya said, taking Renji’s hand offered hand in order to get down from the short pedestal. The fabrics were so stiff Renji swore he could hear them creak. “Sakura Season makes her profoundly sad.”

 _And you_ , Renji thought, but didn’t say.

 

#

They had an hour or so before Byakuya had to attend the tea ceremony. Since he’d sequestered himself the night before, the captain decided he ought to make an appearance in the gardens. For Renji, this meant he followed a few steps behind, keeping his distance as the various noble heads greeted Byakuya.

It was slow going. Byakuya couldn’t seem to take more than a few steps before some new entourage would swoop in to fawn all over him. Renji actually felt a little pity for the captain stuck in those stiff, stuffy robes and forced to be so social--something he so clearly despised.

Mostly Renji let his mind wander during this slow dance along the garden path, though he had to pay attention enough to be sure to bow if someone looked in his direction, but he wasn’t even allowed close enough to even overhear whatever inane conversation the nobility passed between themselves. At first he felt sort of left out, until he overheard a particularly dull discussion of the weather between Byakuya and a slightly deaf older nobleman.

After that, he felt sort of grateful to be left to admiring the gardens.

The palace grounds were vast. They were currently strolling over a gently arched wooden bridge. A small stream gurgled below them, over moss-covered rocks and along curved banks. Cherry trees in full display dripped pink-petals into the water. A snowy egret fished along the far banks, dipping its graceful neck to snatch at frogs and fish.

Even more captivating were the courtiers they passed. The women, in particular, wore incredibly bright colors embellished with intricate designs that rivaled the beauty of the trees while they fluttered though the grasses like oversized butterflies.

Renji was so distracted that he was almost bowled over by a gaggle of giggling girls. There were a dozen of them, and they’d surrounded him in a stealth attack worthy of the punishment squad. Byakuya, it seemed, had been stopped by their mistress, a woman in an emerald green kimono, decorated with swans in flight. The jewels in her hair perfectly matched her dress and her eyes.

“Ooh,” one of the girls surrounding Renji squealed, noticing his uniform and Zabimaru, “You must be a solider!”

“Idiot! Of course he is,” snapped another. “Can’t you read? He’s the Sixth Division’s lieutenant. It’ says so on his sleeve.”

“A Lieutenant,” a girl giggled. Her hair was braided with silk flowers that were repeated on her orange kimono. “Oh, that’s must make you very strong!”

“Uh,” Renji stuttered.

“Military,” tisked the irritated one, who was the only girl uninterested in Renji. Instead, she watched her mistress intently. “Not a good life for us. Yet, what can we do? The lady has her sights on the captain.”

“I’ve never seen such red hair,” cooed a girl with a pink fan, and pearls dribbling from a large hairpin. With a breathless flutter, she added, “Or so many tattoos.”

“Oh, my goodness,” the girls twittered in unison, and they all crowded closer to inspect. Their sudden surge forward made Renji back up a step, until he pressed up against the railing. He put his hands up, as though in surrender.

“Ladies!” Renji said. “Please! Give me some room.”

“Listen to him! So…. Rough!”

“And so tall!”

"So big!"

“Do you think he’s from somewhere… dangerous?”

Renji looked over the top of the ladies’ heads and to where Byakuya stood. Byakuya’s face was turned slightly away from the noble lady and seemed to be studying something on the ground. Though the captain said nothing, Renji found he could read the request. He responded with a curt nod. Shouldering the multitude of women aside and ignoring their squeals, Renji bowed deeply in front of Byakuya. “Many apologies, my lady, but my captain has a date he can’t break. Sir?”

Byakuya didn’t acknowledge him, other than a disapproving lift of his eyebrows. “Please forgive the boldness of my adjutant, lady. Unfortunately, he’s correct. I must tear myself from your charming company.”

“Kuchiki-sama,” she bowed slightly. “Until next time.”

Byakuya gave her the slightest nod, and swept away in a swirl of hems. Renji flanked him closer than was appropriate for the Hanami, but with military precision that allowed no approach or interruption. In fact, seeing them, nobles rustled aside quickly.

“Sorry, sir,” Renji said when they were some distance from the bridge. “The enemy’s forces briefly overwhelmed me.”

“Yet, despite the odds, you rallied in time to save the day,” Byakuya said thoughtfully. “You’re proving yourself indispensible. If you ever request a transfer, Fukataicho, it will be denied.”

“Careful, Taicho. I might start to think you care.”


End file.
